Maung Day, Ogre on Pedestal in War Colors, 2022

In April 2022 – almost a year after a series of wars broke out between the Arakan Army and the Bamar Military in the area, Burmese artist Maung Day took a trip to Arakan Land. On this trip through Sittwe, Mrauk-U and other small Arakanese towns, he brought along a drawing book, into which he sketched out the sights of his journey. Upon returning home, he redrew many of these sketches.

Of this drawing, Maung Day writes:
"The statues of ogres stand at the gates of many temples and stupas in Myanmar, not much different in the Arakan Land. Ogres are believed to be of an inferior race to humans, and because of their strength and frightening looks – maybe there are other reasons as well – the statues are put at the temple gates to protect the holy grounds. In other words, ogres symbolize guardianship of Buddhism. The military generals of today and of the past have always claimed to be protectors of race, nation, and religion. They chant these three words like a mantra in their speeches. However, they are also the ones murdering and incarcerating Buddhist monks and innocent Buddhist civilians. A lot of temples in Mrauk-U were subject to destruction during the wars between the Bamar Military and the Arakan Army. Bombs dropped from the sky by the Bamar military have crushed many temples to the ground. In reality, these military people aka self-acclaimed guardians of race, religion, and nation have taken a path opposite of what Buddhism teaches. I wanted to mix the sensibility of war and violence with the imagery of religion, resulting in this drawing."